With this article we open the reportage of the second day of the 14th Congress of Croatian Camping, organized by the dynamic Croatian Camping Union, with which our magazine Camping Business, since its inception, has started a fruitful and concrete collaboration relationship. The first speech is from Jaap van der Linden, director of ANWB, the Dutch Touring Club, who tried to answer an important question: “Can we expect the return of Dutch campers in 2021?”.
This year, in fact, many of them have chosen to spend their holidays in their homeland, given the pandemic situation. The lack was felt both in Croatia and in Italy. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to give a certain answer to this question because the situation is still evolving, but Van der Linden, relying on the results of an important research that ANWB carries out weekly on 48 million users, is able to underline important highlights, which can also be translated into suggestions for optimizing the communication activities of the individual structures.
Referring to the 48th week of this year, it can be seen that 78% of Dutch holidaymakers had not yet planned trips for 2021. Among the possible destinations, 41% of respondents chose the Netherlands, a value higher than in previous years, and 47% the rest of Europe, which remains the main destination for 2021. Only 12% prefer trips outside the Old Continent. 28% are waiting to book for the 2021 season, as they are following the evolution of the pandemic situation, especially in relation to vaccinations, which will begin in the country next January. It is very important to underline that 48% of respondents would already make the reservation now, provided that the cancellation conditions are clear (guaranteed refund or free change of travel dates) and above all that there is a guarantee of repatriation in the event of border closure. 24%, on the other hand, do not yet know if they will plan a trip in 2021.
It should be noted that 21% of Dutch families have expressed the desire to spend their holidays in camping (or 1.7 million families) and in 2021 the total number of Dutch campers will reach 3.7 million (a 5% increase compared to previous years). Among those who choose the campsite, 15% prefer the tent, 43% their caravan or motorhome and 42% prefer to rent accommodation within the campsite, which is considered a form of holiday suitable for family, independent, flexible and relatively secure.
The ANWB platform has 3.3 million unique visitors with 98% coverage of the Dutch camping market. In 2019, of the total searches carried out on the website (more than 25 million), 2.5% concerned Croatia (625,000), with an increase of 0.7% compared to 2018. Researches about the Croatian country are spread over the whole year, contrary to what happens for other countries, including Italy, which is more sought after in some seasons.
Of the 178 known Croatian campsites, only 57 are bookable via the ANWB platform. Of the total number of bookings, those relating to Croatian campsites are 907, or 3.3 percent. Croatia, out of a total turnover relating to bookings of 16.6 million euros, is worth 714,000 euros (4.3%). The potential is 2.1 million euros. The average booking value for Croatian campsites is 787 euros, compared to an average of 574 euros for all requests.
The data analyzed so far are certainly useful for having an overall picture of the situation. In conclusion, Jaap van der Linden points out some peculiarities that should not be underestimated, such as the fact that Croatia is considered a destination for holidays with the family. Families usually book in advance on the basis of school holidays and therefore it is important to have offers with constantly updated prices and availability, in addition to well-highlighted cancellation conditions. His advice: the Dutch don’t like vouchers at all, so they should be avoided. If the Dutch government allows travel, there will certainly be a “return” of campers. A desirable fact for Italy too.
More than 43,500 visitors for the Dutch show Caravana 2020